Sony way off target on PS2 shipments

What's 300K units among friends?

Sony is failing to meet its own PlayStation 2 delivery targets in the US, investment analysts have claimed.

The issue for the analysts is the ability of games companies to make money selling PlayStation 2 titles. And the fewer consoles Sony ships, the harder it will be for the likes of Electronic Arts to cash in on the new machine.

In reports sent to EA shareholding clients, analysts as Lehman Bros. and Sutro claimed Sony has shipped around 600,000 PlayStation 2s in the US.

After cutting the initial launch allocation of units to 500,000, Sony said it would then ship 100,000 consoles a week up until the end of the year. By now, it should have pumped 900,000 PlayStation 2s into the US market, rather less than the analysts believe.

Sony has yet to confirm or deny their allegation, although it has openly admitted it is having problems shipping as many consoles as it would like to. The Japanese giant blames global component shortages for its inability to ship as many PlayStation 2s as it originally intended.

That said, the limited supply is creating enormous pent-up demand for machines among early adopters, though Sony claims that's not part of its plan.

If the analysts are right, the news will surely disappoint UK gamers still waiting for their pre-ordered consoles to turn up - and those who are trying to find PlayStation 2s in the shops. ®